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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. roll — a list
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. degree — temperature
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. roll — a cake
  9. degree — an amount
  10. kid — child
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. land — a country
  17. branch — a division
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. degree — from a university
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. land — to come down

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