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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cold — an illness
  8. branch — a division
  9. squash — the sport
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. march — music
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. tear — to rip
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. march — the month
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. tear — from crying
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. branch — of a bank

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