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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bass — low music
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. branch — a division
  11. net — after costs
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. net — for catching
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fork — in a road
  23. shower — rain
  24. net — in sport

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