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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rest — a break
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fall — the season
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fall — to drop
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fall — to drop
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. kick — in football
  21. rest — what's left
  22. clip — a video
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rush — hurry

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