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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wind — moving air
  3. season — in sport
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. shower — rain
  7. kick — in football
  8. wind — moving air
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. season — of the year
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. branch — a division
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pound — a weight
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — on a roll

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