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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. board — to get on
  4. content — the amount
  5. branch — a division
  6. spring — the season
  7. content — happy
  8. fork — in a road
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. board — a committee
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. spring — of water
  21. scale — in music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. scale — size or range

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