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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. mine — for digging
  7. can — to be able to
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. last — to go on
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. stem — to come from
  20. can — a tin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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