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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tube — a container
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ground — a position
  8. branch — a division
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. ground — crushed
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. swing — music
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wake — a trail
  20. swing — to play on
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. tube — the underground
  23. ground — the earth
  24. swing — in golf

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