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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. lean — to bend
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. branch — a division
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. court — for sport
  14. pound — a weight
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. lean — thin
  19. hand — in cards
  20. court — of a king
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. court — of law

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