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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wound — an injury
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bass — the fish
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. ground — a position
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bass — low music
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. ground — the earth

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