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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. toast — bread
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rush — hurry
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fork — in a road
  12. scale — in music
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. branch — a division
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fall — the season
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. fall — to drop
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. fall — to drop

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