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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fine — all right
  9. season — of the year
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. branch — a division
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. root — the cause
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. lie — to recline
  16. fine — high quality
  17. season — in sport
  18. row — to paddle
  19. root — of a word
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. root — of a plant

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