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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. degree — an amount
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. degree — from a university
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. branch — a division
  11. can — a tin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. can — a tin
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pop — music
  16. bat — the animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pop — soda
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pound — for dogs

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