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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lean — thin
  16. rock — music
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. rock — a stone
  24. calf — a young 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