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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. swing — music
  9. file — a document
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bore — to tire
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. file — a line of people
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. squash — to crush
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. file — a tool
  24. wax — for sculpting

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