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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 · rock · pitcher · bat · mug · saw · branch · mine

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mug — a face
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mug — to rob
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. branch — a division
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mug — a cup
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rock — music
  24. mine — an explosive

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