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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cell — in biology
  4. ground — a position
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rush — hurry
  9. branch — a division
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ground — the earth
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. ground — crushed
  24. branch — of a bank

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