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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. branch — a division
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cell — a phone
  8. object — to protest
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. object — a thing
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. tear — to rip
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. object — an aim
  20. tear — from crying
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. hand — help
  24. cell — in biology

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