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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rush — hurry
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. face — to point toward
  8. squash — the sport
  9. face — to confront
  10. branch — a division
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. squash — to crush
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lie — to recline
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. roll — a cake

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