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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. object — an aim
  3. hand — in cards
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. net — in sport
  6. present — a gift
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. present — the time now
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. wind — moving air
  18. present — there
  19. net — for catching
  20. kick — in football
  21. wind — moving air
  22. net — after costs
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. spell — magic

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