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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bank — of a river
  4. drill — army training
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. drill — the tool
  8. field — farmland
  9. bank — for money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bank — for money
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. capital — a city
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. capital — money
  18. field — for sport
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. field — a subject

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