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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. field — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. field — farmland
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. court — for sport
  11. wind — moving air
  12. perch — the fish
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. court — of law
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. plane — a tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. field — a subject
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. perch — for a bird

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