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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. hand — help
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. season — in sport
  13. saw — the tool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. toast — bread
  17. hand — in cards
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. kick — in football
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. kick — a thrill

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