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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. field — for sport
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. face — to confront
  11. branch — a division
  12. mine — for digging
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. season — of the year
  23. field — farmland
  24. cabinet — ministers

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