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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. current — happening now
  3. mine — for digging
  4. row — a line
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. current — of water
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bass — low music
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. branch — a division
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. row — to paddle
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. current — electric
  20. saw — the tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bass — the fish

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