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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pit — in a race
  5. season — of the year
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. kid — child
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. season — in sport
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. kid — to tease

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