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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. branch — a division
  4. game — wild animals
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kick — in football
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rash — hasty
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. game — a match

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