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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rash — a series
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. track — a path
  8. content — happy
  9. rash — hasty
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. content — the amount
  16. band — a ring
  17. scale — in music
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. branch — a division
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. band — a music group

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