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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. current — electric
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bark — to shout
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cap — a hat
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cap — of ice
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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