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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 116 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lie — to recline
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. net — for catching
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fall — the season
  9. board — to get on
  10. fall — to drop
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. perch — the fish
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. branch — a division
  18. deal — to handle
  19. net — in sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. board — a committee
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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