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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 116 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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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: fall · bark · mate · branch · last · wave · file · calf

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fall — to drop
  4. last — to go on
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. fall — the season
  9. last — final
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. last — finally
  16. mate — a friend
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. file — a document
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bark — 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