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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 · calf · bowl · wound · straw · wave · key · cold

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. cold — an illness
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. wound — an injury
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cold — not warm
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. key — the most important part
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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