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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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468
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: branch · dip · calf · game · march · toast · cold · mate

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. march — the month
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. game — a match
  9. toast — bread
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cold — an illness
  12. march — the month
  13. mate — a friend
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. march — music
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mate — a partner
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mate — to breed

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