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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. branch — a division
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rash — a series
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bat — the animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wound — an injury

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