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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: branch · mine · net · calf · pound · scale · bulb · court

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. scale — size or range
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. court — of law
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. court — for sport
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pound — a weight
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. scale — in music
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. branch — a division
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. court — of a king
  24. net — after costs

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