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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tube — the underground
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. staff — employees
  7. ground — a position
  8. staff — a stick
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. staff — employees
  11. vault — a safe
  12. ground — the earth
  13. season — in sport
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. ground — crushed
  23. tube — a container
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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