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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. band — a ring
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bear — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. band — a music group
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bound — tied together
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bound — certain
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lean — thin
  24. bear — to put up with

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