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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. chest — of your body
  3. land — a country
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. firm — decided
  7. land — to come down
  8. tear — to rip
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. firm — steady
  12. pitch — completely
  13. chest — a box
  14. branch — a division
  15. land — ground
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. chest — of your body
  23. firm — a company
  24. calf — a young animal

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