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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a city
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. tear — to rip
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. tear — from crying
  15. capital — money
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. deal — to handle
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mark — a grade
  24. branch — a division

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