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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: pound · nail · row · calf · root · cabinet · wind · branch

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. branch — a division
  4. row — a line
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. root — the cause
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. root — of a word
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wind — moving air
  22. root — of a plant
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. calf — a young animal

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