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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rest — a break
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — a coil
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. kid — child
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kick — in football
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mine — for digging
  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