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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mate — to breed
  4. content — happy
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. face — to confront
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. mate — a friend
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mate — a partner
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. face — part of the head
  24. content — the amount

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