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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. branch — a division
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. fan — a supporter

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