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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. face — part of the head
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. object — to protest
  7. spring — the season
  8. face — to point toward
  9. capital — money
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. spring — a coil
  13. face — to confront
  14. object — a thing
  15. spring — of water
  16. object — an aim
  17. capital — a city
  18. bear — the animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bear — the animal

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