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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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Word bank
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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — crushed
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wind — moving air
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. object — an aim
  13. kick — in football
  14. object — a thing
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. ground — a position
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. object — to protest
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ground — the earth
  24. snap — to click

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