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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. branch — a division
  3. land — ground
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. land — a country
  6. track — a song
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chest — of your body
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chest — a box
  13. land — to come down
  14. track — a path
  15. suit — to fit
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wind — moving air
  18. suit — clothes
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. track — to keep track
  22. suit — in cards
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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