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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. bank — for money
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bank — of a river
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. snap — to click
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bank — for money
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bear — the animal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mine — for digging
  19. perch — the fish
  20. branch — a division
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. branch — of a bank
  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