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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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bear — the animal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. season — in sport
  10. snap — to click
  11. squash — to crush
  12. roll — a list
  13. fall — to drop
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bear — the animal
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. season — of the year
  19. fall — the season
  20. kick — in football
  21. squash — the sport
  22. branch — a division
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. roll — a cake

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