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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rash — a series
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. branch — a division
  10. net — in sport
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. kick — in football
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. net — for catching
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. net — after costs
  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