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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — government
  3. shower — rain
  4. rule — a law
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. branch — a division
  9. foot — a measure
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. shower — to wash
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. prune — the fruit

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