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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: press · track · date · sharp · branch · calf · wave · spring

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. date — the fruit
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. sharp — clever
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. spring — the season
  12. press — newspapers
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. track — a path
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. track — to keep track
  21. press — to push
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. track — a song

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