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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.

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: straw · chest · wound · can · degree · calf · branch · nail

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. branch — a division
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chest — a box
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. can — a tin
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wound — an injury
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. degree — from a university
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. chest — of your body

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