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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cell — in biology
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. firm — a company
  7. bat — the animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. firm — steady
  11. scale — in music
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. firm — decided
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. branch — a division
  24. scale — for weighing

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