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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. row — a line
  4. stock — shares
  5. fall — to drop
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fall — the season
  9. bark — to shout
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. branch — a division
  14. spell — magic
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. spell — a short time
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. spell — letters
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. stock — goods
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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