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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. kick — in football
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. field — for sport
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mate — a partner
  17. field — a subject
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bear — the animal
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bear — the animal
  22. field — farmland
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bear — to put up with

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