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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. tear — to rip
  3. branch — a division
  4. track — a path
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. tear — from crying
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. foot — a measure
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. kick — in football
  24. tear — from crying

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