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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. craft — boats
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stem — to come from
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. craft — a skill
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bark — to shout
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stem — of a plant

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