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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. branch — a division
  3. spring — of water
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mate — a friend
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pound — a weight
  13. tube — a container
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. spring — the season
  19. mate — a partner
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mate — to breed
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. spring — a coil

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