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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wind — moving air
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spring — the season
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mug — a cup
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mug — a face
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mug — to rob
  19. spring — of water
  20. bulb — for light
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. calf — a young animal

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