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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. plane — a tool
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cell — in biology
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rock — music
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mark — a trace
  17. content — the amount
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cell — a phone
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. content — happy
  22. branch — a division
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. plane — in geometry

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