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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. season — of the year
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. branch — a division
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. rush — hurry
  13. kick — in football
  14. cap — a lid
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cap — a hat
  19. file — a tool
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. season — in sport
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. file — a document
  24. calf — of the leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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