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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rush — hurry
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wind — moving air
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chip — for betting
  18. ball — a dance
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chip — to eat
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. branch — a division
  24. wind — to turn a key

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