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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: branch · trunk · pass · calf · pop · kid · land · season

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pass — a permit
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. land — ground
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. season — of the year
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pop — soda
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. season — in sport
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. land — to come down
  24. branch — a division

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