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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. board — to get on
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. branch — a division
  11. lie — to recline
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mark — a grade
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wax — to grow
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pitch — completely

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