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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. branch — a division
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. land — to come down
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — a country
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mug — a face
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. land — ground
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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