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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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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — finally
  4. staff — employees
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wound — an injury
  8. staff — employees
  9. last — final
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bear — the animal
  15. staff — a stick
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bear — the animal
  20. last — to go on
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — a thing

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