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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: wind · bowl · calf · branch · charge · temple · root · land

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. root — of a word
  5. land — to come down
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. land — ground
  9. wind — moving air
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. charge — a price
  14. wind — moving air
  15. charge — in control
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. land — a country
  21. branch — a division
  22. root — the cause
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bowl — a football final

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