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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. season — in sport
  4. last — to go on
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. kid — child
  7. season — of the year
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. fork — in a road
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. branch — a division
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. foot — a measure

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