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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: rule · last · branch · degree · wound · calf · bear · swing

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. swing — music
  5. last — final
  6. degree — temperature
  7. swing — in golf
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rule — government
  13. branch — a division
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. degree — from a university
  16. last — to go on
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. last — finally

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