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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. track — a song
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. court — of law
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. court — of a king
  18. track — a path
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. vault — a safe
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. court — for sport
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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