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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cue — a signal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mate — to breed
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tear — from crying
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cue — for pool
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. branch — a division
  19. mate — a partner
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mate — a friend
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. tear — to rip

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