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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. branch — a division
  3. chest — of your body
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bound — certain
  14. can — a tin
  15. bound — tied together
  16. chest — a box
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bound — obliged
  20. chest — of your body
  21. sharp — clever
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. can — a tin

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