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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. branch — a division
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cap — a hat
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. swing — to play on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. object — a thing
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. chest — of your body
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. object — an aim
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. object — to protest
  22. cap — a lid
  23. snap — to click
  24. chest — a box

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