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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wind — moving air
  4. branch — a division
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mark — a grade
  11. kid — child
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mark — a trace
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bowl — to roll

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