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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. hide — animal skin
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. press — to push
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pound — a weight
  10. press — newspapers
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. press — a publisher
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  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