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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ground — crushed
  4. spring — of water
  5. ground — a position
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. spring — the season
  9. deal — to handle
  10. current — of water
  11. ground — the earth
  12. current — happening now
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. track — a song
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. current — electric
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. shower — to wash
  20. branch — a division
  21. track — a path
  22. spring — a coil
  23. shower — rain
  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