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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: nail · firm · shower · branch · rule · calf · cue · game

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cue — for pool
  3. rule — a law
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. shower — to wash
  8. game — a match
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cue — a hint
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cue — a signal
  14. firm — steady
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rule — government
  17. firm — a company
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. shower — rain
  20. game — wild animals
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. firm — decided
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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