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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. chest — of your body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wind — moving air
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. present — there
  8. branch — a division
  9. present — a gift
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chest — a box
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — an aim
  15. chest — of your body
  16. object — to protest
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. present — the time now
  21. hand — help
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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