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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: game · net · cell · branch · calf · race · bulb · straw

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. branch — a division
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bulb — for light
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. net — for catching
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. race — a contest
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cell — in biology
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. net — in sport
  16. game — wild animals
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. game — a match
  19. net — after costs
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bulb — for light
  22. race — humankind
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. straw — dry grass

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