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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. branch — a division
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. ground — the earth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bank — of a river
  19. lean — thin
  20. drill — army training
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ground — a position

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