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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fall — the season
  3. hand — help
  4. board — a committee
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — electric
  7. fall — to drop
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. tear — from crying
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. board — to get on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tear — from crying
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. current — happening now
  16. tear — to rip
  17. current — of water
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. calf — a young animal

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