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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. current — happening now
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. track — a song
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. current — of water
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. spell — magic
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. spell — letters
  14. last — final
  15. current — electric
  16. lean — to bend
  17. last — to go on
  18. lean — thin
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. track — to keep track
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. last — finally
  23. track — a path
  24. spell — a short time

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