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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. spring — the season
  3. sharp — clever
  4. current — of water
  5. row — to paddle
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wind — moving air
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. snap — to click
  13. spring — a coil
  14. dip — to sink
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wind — moving air
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. spring — of water
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. row — a line
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — electric

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