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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. march — the month
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. kid — child
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stand — to bear
  14. shower — rain
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. date — the fruit
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. kid — to tease
  22. shower — to wash
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. calf — a young animal

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