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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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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 · bat · mouse · bound · pop · branch · season · shower

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bound — certain
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. season — in sport
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bound — obliged
  13. season — of the year
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. pop — to visit
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pop — music
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pop — soda
  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