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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. season — in sport
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. track — a path
  10. press — newspapers
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wind — moving air
  18. branch — a division
  19. track — a song
  20. press — a publisher
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. press — to push
  24. wind — moving air

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