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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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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: snap · calf · club · file · branch · scale · wave · tear

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. file — a document
  3. scale — size or range
  4. file — a line of people
  5. branch — a division
  6. tear — from crying
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. file — a tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. club — for golf
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. club — for dancing
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. tear — to rip
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. scale — in music
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. club — a group

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