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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: calf · bark · rest · branch · wind · mate · net · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mate — a friend
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rest — a break
  8. bark — to shout
  9. rest — what's left
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rest — what's left
  14. snap — to click
  15. wind — moving air
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mate — to breed
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. net — after costs
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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