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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. fine — high quality
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rash — a series
  9. wind — moving air
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wound — an injury
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fine — all right
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. stem — to come from
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wind — moving air
  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