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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spring — the season
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. can — to be able to
  7. spring — of water
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. can — a tin
  10. kid — child
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. can — a tin
  13. spring — a coil
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. kid — to tease
  17. degree — from a university
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. degree — temperature
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. degree — an amount
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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