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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: shower · bulb · branch · swing · calf · date · hide · net

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. net — in sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. date — the fruit
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. net — after costs
  17. shower — to wash
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. shower — rain
  21. net — for catching
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bulb — for light
  24. calf — a young animal

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