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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. kid — child
  3. current — happening now
  4. season — of the year
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kid — to tease
  8. current — electric
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mate — a friend
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. branch — a division
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. season — in sport
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mate — to breed
  23. current — of water
  24. pitcher — a jug

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