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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · branch · stick · ground · calf · bear

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. club — for golf
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. club — for dancing
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ground — crushed
  12. branch — a division
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. ground — a position
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. club — a group
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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