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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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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: wound · snap · calf · mine · pitch · drill · shower · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. shower — rain
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitch — completely
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. snap — to click
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. drill — the tool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wound — an injury

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