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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: branch · hand · calf · wind · pop · season · dip · vault

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wind — moving air
  3. season — of the year
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pop — to visit
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wind — moving air
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pop — music
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. hand — in cards
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pop — soda
  18. dip — to sink
  19. hand — help
  20. season — in sport
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. branch — a division
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. dip — to dunk

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