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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. field — farmland
  7. wound — an injury
  8. branch — a division
  9. band — a ring
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. shower — to wash
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wound — an injury
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. shower — rain
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. field — for sport
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. band — a music group

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