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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · branch · track · cap · calf · fork · court · mouse

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. track — a path
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. cap — a hat
  9. field — a subject
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cap — a lid
  12. court — for sport
  13. cap — of ice
  14. field — farmland
  15. track — a song
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fork — in a road
  18. court — of law
  19. track — to keep track
  20. court — of a king
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. branch — a division
  24. field — for sport

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