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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: branch · staff · wound · calf · wind · lie · content · pound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. staff — employees
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. content — the amount
  12. wound — an injury
  13. branch — a division
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pound — a weight
  23. content — happy
  24. lie — to recline

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