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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 124 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. prune — to trim
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. branch — a division
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. object — an aim
  13. land — ground
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. object — a thing
  19. land — a country
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. land — to come down
  22. object — to protest
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hide — to keep secret

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