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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · object · wind · branch · kick · kid

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wind — moving air
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. kick — in football
  5. branch — a division
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. object — a thing
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. tear — from crying

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