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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rock — music
  3. row — a line
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. drill — the tool
  16. row — to paddle
  17. drill — a practice
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. drill — army training
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. degree — from a university

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