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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. field — farmland
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. sharp — clever
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. tube — a container
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. degree — from a university
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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