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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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 bank
  3. snap — to click
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. drill — army training
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pop — music
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. drill — a practice
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. branch — a division
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. calf — of the leg

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