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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. ground — a position
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. file — a tool
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. current — happening now
  12. mark — a grade
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. ground — crushed
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. file — a document
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rush — hurry
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mark — a trace
  21. current — electric
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. current — of water

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