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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. kick — in football
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. chest — of your body
  7. snap — to click
  8. branch — a division
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. suit — in cards
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. suit — to fit
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stock — goods
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chest — of your body
  22. suit — clothes
  23. chest — a box
  24. branch — of a tree

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