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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pop — music
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wound — an injury
  7. branch — a division
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pop — soda
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wound — an injury
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bark — to shout

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