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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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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: object · ball · wake · drill · calf · branch · court · cap

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. drill — the tool
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wake — a trail
  5. object — to protest
  6. court — for sport
  7. object — an aim
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. drill — army training
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. branch — a division
  14. cap — a lid
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ball — a great time
  17. cap — of ice
  18. court — of a king
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. ball — a dance
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. court — of law

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