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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. spring — the season
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fall — to drop
  12. branch — a division
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fall — to drop
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fall — the season
  21. tube — a container
  22. snap — to click
  23. kick — in football
  24. spring — of water

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