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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: pop · squash · mine · court · calf · branch · plane · chair

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. plane — a tool
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. court — for sport
  6. pop — soda
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. court — of a king
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. chair — a leader
  15. branch — a division
  16. pop — to visit
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pop — music
  23. court — of law
  24. mine — for digging

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