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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. fine — all right
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. board — to get on
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. board — a committee
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fine — high quality
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. board — a flat piece

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