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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tube — a container
  4. branch — a division
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ball — a great time
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. drill — army training
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pound — a weight
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mine — for digging

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