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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. branch — a division
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. clip — to cut
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bulb — for light
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. clip — for paper
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. clip — a video
  24. temple — a place of worship

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