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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. spell — letters
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rest — a break
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. spell — magic
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. season — of the year
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. spell — a short time
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. shower — rain
  21. season — in sport
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rest — what's left
  24. branch — a division

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