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

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. trunk — 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