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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chair · court · row · branch · bore · calf · clip · object

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. row — a line
  2. object — a thing
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. branch — a division
  11. row — to paddle
  12. object — an aim
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. object — to protest
  15. bore — to tire
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. court — of law
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bore — to drill
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. clip — a video
  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