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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. branch — a division
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rash — hasty
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spring — of water
  12. pop — soda
  13. bound — certain
  14. rash — a series
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bound — tied together
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. spring — the season
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. spring — a coil
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pop — music

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