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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. club — for golf
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — for dancing
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rush — hurry
  12. branch — a division
  13. bear — the animal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. swing — music
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bear — the animal
  18. swing — in golf
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. club — a group

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