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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: current · wound · racket · calf · prune · branch · wake · fine

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — of water
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. branch — a division
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — for tennis

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