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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bass — low music
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. field — for sport
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. field — a subject
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. field — farmland
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bass — the fish

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