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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. present — the time now
  3. key — for a lock
  4. band — a music group
  5. present — a gift
  6. bound — tied together
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. key — in music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. branch — a division
  11. bound — certain
  12. mine — for digging
  13. band — a ring
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. key — the most important part
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. present — there
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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