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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. row — a line
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. tube — the underground
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. row — to paddle
  11. stock — shares
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stock — goods
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. capital — money
  21. tube — a container
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  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