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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. track — a path
  3. bore — to tire
  4. march — music
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. file — a tool
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. file — a document
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. file — a line of people
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. track — a song
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. track — to keep track

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