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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. track — a song
  3. pop — soda
  4. track — a path
  5. branch — a division
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. tear — from crying
  8. hand — help
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bank — for money
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bank — of a river
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pop — music
  16. tear — to rip
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bank — for money
  20. tear — from crying
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. dip — to sink
  23. hand — in cards
  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