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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cold — not warm
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. track — a path
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cold — an illness
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. swing — to play on
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. track — a song
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. mark — a trace

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