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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. track — a song
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pound — a weight
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. branch — a division
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mine — for digging
  18. track — a path

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