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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. capital — money
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bark — to shout
  16. chair — a leader
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. capital — a city
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. chair — to sit on

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