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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. fall — the season
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. snap — to click
  6. fall — to drop
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. track — a song
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. fall — to drop
  14. track — a path
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. track — to keep track
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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