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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. branch — a division
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. net — in sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. field — for sport
  18. row — to paddle
  19. field — farmland
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. net — after costs
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. plane — a tool
  24. net — for catching

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