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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cold — not warm
  5. land — a country
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. cold — an illness
  9. land — ground
  10. stem — to come from
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — a division
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. foot — a measure
  20. land — to come down
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. kick — in football

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