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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bulb — for light
  6. chair — a leader
  7. kick — in football
  8. season — of the year
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. tear — from crying
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. branch — a division
  18. tear — from crying
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. season — in sport
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bulb — for light
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. tear — to rip

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