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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. band — a music group
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. band — a ring
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pop — music
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. clip — a video
  23. pop — soda
  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