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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. court — for sport
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fork — in a road
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. court — of law
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. court — of a king
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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