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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: date · bark · leaves · bass · pitch · calf · row · branch

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. date — the fruit
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. row — a line
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bass — the fish
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bass — low music
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. branch — a division
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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