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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rule — a law
  4. spring — a coil
  5. drill — a practice
  6. court — for sport
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. branch — a division
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. court — of a king
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. court — of law
  14. spring — of water
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. drill — army training
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rule — government
  24. mouse — the animal

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