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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 ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wind — moving air
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. branch — a division
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kick — in football
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fall — to drop
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fall — the season
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fall — to drop

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