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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pop — soda
  4. court — for sport
  5. ground — a position
  6. pop — music
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. saw — the tool
  12. snap — to click
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. ground — crushed
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. saw — the tool
  19. court — of a king
  20. pop — to visit
  21. court — of law
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wind — moving air

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