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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. plane — a tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. row — a line
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. row — to paddle
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ground — a position
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. ground — crushed
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. perch — the fish
  17. ground — the earth
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bear — the animal
  23. row — a quarrel
  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