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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. drill — the tool
  4. foot — a measure
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. field — a subject
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. drill — army training
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. tube — a container
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. chair — a leader
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bark — to shout
  24. drill — a practice

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