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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hand — in cards
  3. chip — to eat
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. squash — to crush
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. tear — from crying
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. branch — a division
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. tear — to rip
  20. hand — help
  21. chip — for betting
  22. squash — the sport
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. squash — the vegetable

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