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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. object — to protest
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. branch — a division
  9. rush — hurry
  10. lean — thin
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lean — to bend
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. object — an aim
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. kid — child
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. object — a thing

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