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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.

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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: bound · field · mate · scale · calf · tube · branch · spring

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bound — obliged
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mate — a partner
  7. field — for sport
  8. bound — certain
  9. tube — a container
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. field — a subject
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. field — farmland
  16. branch — a division
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spring — of water
  19. tube — the underground
  20. scale — in music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mate — to breed

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