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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. cold — an illness
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. land — a country
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bark — to shout
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. land — ground
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. land — to come down
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spring — of water
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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