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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lie — to recline
  4. net — in sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. row — a line
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. trunk — of a tree

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