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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. race — a contest
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bark — to shout
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. squash — the sport
  8. craft — boats
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bound — tied together
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bound — obliged
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bound — certain
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. craft — a skill
  21. lean — thin
  22. squash — to crush
  23. race — humankind
  24. calf — a young 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