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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. charge — in control
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. last — to go on
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. charge — a price
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. branch — a division
  15. charge — electricity
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. last — final
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. last — finally
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wake — a trail
  24. calf — of the 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