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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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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: branch · present · club · calf · clip · wake · temple · mouse

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. club — a group
  4. present — a gift
  5. clip — a video
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. present — the time now
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. present — there
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. branch — a division
  21. club — for golf
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. club — for dancing

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