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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cap — a lid
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. content — the amount
  8. cap — of ice
  9. branch — a division
  10. cap — a hat
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. content — happy
  13. field — a subject
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. field — farmland
  16. bass — low music
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bass — the fish
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. track — a song
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. field — for sport

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