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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bulb — for light
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. bulb — for light
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. content — the amount
  13. kid — child
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. stem — to come from
  17. kid — to tease
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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