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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. scale — size or range
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. content — the amount
  6. staff — a stick
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. hand — help
  9. staff — employees
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. staff — employees
  12. hand — in cards
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. shower — rain
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. content — happy
  17. branch — a division
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wax — to grow
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. scale — in music
  24. wax — in the ear

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