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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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Word bank
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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: calf · mine · bay · branch · lie · fan · hide · snap

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. snap — to click
  7. lie — to recline
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. branch — a division
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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