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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. court — of a king
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. court — of law
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rash — a series
  13. season — of the year
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. court — for sport
  19. branch — a division
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. date — the fruit
  24. season — to add flavour

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