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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fall — to drop
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spring — of water
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bank — for money
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spring — the season
  10. bank — for money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. key — the most important part
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fall — the season
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spring — a coil
  19. key — in music
  20. bank — of a river
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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