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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. can — a tin
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. shower — to wash
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. hand — in cards
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mug — a cup
  16. can — a tin
  17. mug — a face
  18. can — to be able to
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. hand — help
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. branch — a division
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mug — to rob

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