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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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Word bank
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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: can · calf · racket · branch · file · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. last — to go on
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. last — finally
  6. branch — a division
  7. file — a document
  8. can — a tin
  9. file — a line of people
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. can — a tin
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. file — a tool
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. can — to be able 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