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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. board — a committee
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. file — a line of people
  7. board — to get on
  8. squash — the sport
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. squash — to crush
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. chest — of your body
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chest — a box
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. chest — of your body
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. branch — a division
  24. prune — to trim

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