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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 120 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. current — of water
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. capital — money
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. current — happening now
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. capital — a city
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. branch — a division
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. current — electric
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bound — obliged

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