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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 116 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. row — to paddle
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. branch — a division
  15. bass — low music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. capital — a city
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. capital — money

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