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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. cold — an illness
  7. ground — a position
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ground — crushed
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. branch — a division
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com