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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. 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. calf — a young animal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cue — a signal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cue — for pool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. 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