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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. can — a tin
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bore — to tire
  7. field — for sport
  8. lie — to recline
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. field — a subject
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bore — to drill
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. field — farmland
  22. sharp — clever
  23. can — a tin
  24. sharp — with an edge

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