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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. snap — to click
  3. net — in sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. branch — a division
  7. fall — the season
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pitch — completely
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wound — an injury
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wax — to grow
  19. net — for catching
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. net — after costs
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wax — in the ear

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