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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
468
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 · fan · tear · stick · ground · squash · game

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. tear — from crying
  3. game — wild animals
  4. ground — crushed
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. game — a match
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. branch — a division
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tear — from crying
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. tear — to rip

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