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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 116 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: calf · rest · straw · dip · club · branch · pound · season

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. dip — to sink
  2. season — of the year
  3. club — for golf
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. club — a group
  8. branch — a division
  9. club — for dancing
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pound — a weight
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. season — in sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rest — what's left
  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