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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. branch — a division
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. court — for sport
  7. chair — a leader
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. court — of law
  14. season — in sport
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. season — of the year
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. court — of a king
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — 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