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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.

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: bark · calf · club · band · branch · kick · season · ground

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bark — to shout
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. band — a music group
  6. club — for golf
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. ground — the earth
  10. club — for dancing
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. ground — a position
  14. club — a group
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. season — in sport
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. season — of the year
  22. band — a ring
  23. kick — in football
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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