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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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. tear — from crying
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. kick — in football
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a face
  8. can — a tin
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. tear — from crying
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mug — a cup
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cap — a lid
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. pound — a weight
  21. tear — to rip
  22. can — a tin
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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