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

Word bank: degree · kick · nail · snap · calf · branch · hide · lie

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — from a university
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. branch — a division
  11. degree — temperature
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. degree — an amount
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. snap — to click

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