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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 · bear · season · content · bore · club · net

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. club — a group
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. club — for dancing
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bore — to tire
  10. season — in sport
  11. net — in sport
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bear — the animal
  14. season — of the year
  15. branch — a division
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bear — the animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. club — for golf
  20. net — for catching
  21. content — the amount
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. net — after costs
  24. content — videos and posts

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