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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rash — hasty
  8. capital — a city
  9. rule — government
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. swing — to play on
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rash — a series
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. capital — money
  19. swing — music
  20. rule — a law
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rule — to rule out

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