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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rock — music
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. snap — to click
  11. bass — low music
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lean — to bend
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cap — a lid
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cap — of ice
  22. branch — a division
  23. cap — a hat
  24. date — the fruit

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