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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rock — music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. season — in sport
  10. branch — a division
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. season — of the year
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. current — of water
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. ground — a position
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wound — an injury

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