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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: calf · wound · bore · content · perch · race · court · branch

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. perch — the fish
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to drill
  11. court — of law
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. race — a contest
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bore — to tire
  17. wound — an injury
  18. court — for sport
  19. content — the amount
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. court — of a king
  22. wound — an injury
  23. content — happy
  24. branch — a division

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