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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. staff — employees
  2. branch — a division
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hand — help
  15. fork — in a road
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. staff — employees
  18. club — a group
  19. hand — in cards
  20. shower — rain
  21. club — for golf
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. club — for dancing
  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