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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 · roll · mine · present · calf · club · tube · content

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. content — happy
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. content — the amount
  6. present — the time now
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mine — for digging
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. club — for dancing
  12. roll — a list
  13. branch — a division
  14. club — for golf
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. roll — a cake
  18. present — a gift
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. present — there
  22. club — a group
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. branch — of a bank

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