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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — final
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pit — a hole
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pit — in a race
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. chair — a leader
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. foot — a measure

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