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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: branch · calf · spell · row · content · kid · fine · net

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. content — happy
  3. net — in sport
  4. row — a line
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. net — for catching
  7. kid — child
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. net — after costs
  10. content — the amount
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. fine — all right
  16. branch — a division
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. spell — letters
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fine — high quality
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. row — to paddle

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