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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: calf · pound · trunk · branch · mine · ruler · date · spring

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. spring — the season
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. spring — of water
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mine — for digging
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. trunk — of a tree

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