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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fall — the season
  6. wind — moving air
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rash — a series
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wind — moving air
  17. dip — to sink
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rock — a stone
  21. branch — a division
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. fall — to drop
  24. kick — with a leg

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