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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wind — moving air
  4. prune — to trim
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. key — the most important part
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. branch — a division
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. band — a ring
  14. tear — from crying
  15. key — in music
  16. tear — to rip
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. key — for a lock
  20. band — a music group
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wind — moving air

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