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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. branch — a division
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. march — the month
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. kick — in football
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. march — the month
  21. wake — a trail
  22. march — music
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. leaves — lets stay

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