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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. net — for catching
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. net — after costs
  11. chest — a box
  12. net — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cap — a hat
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bark — to shout
  24. track — a path

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