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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. shower — rain
  3. hand — help
  4. season — of the year
  5. shower — to wash
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. track — a path
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. hand — in cards
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. branch — a division
  17. present — a gift
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. track — a song
  20. present — the time now
  21. track — to keep track
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. ruler — a monarch

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