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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rock — a stone
  6. land — a country
  7. scale — in music
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. scale — size or range
  18. branch — a division
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. land — to come down
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. deal — to handle
  24. land — ground

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