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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. last — to go on
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. last — finally
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. last — final
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. season — of the year
  16. stand — to bear
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. spring — of water
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. season — in sport
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stand — for spectators

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