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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. shower — rain
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tube — a container
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tube — the underground
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. tear — from crying
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wave — of the sea

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