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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. hand — help
  5. fall — to drop
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. press — newspapers
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rush — hurry
  11. net — after costs
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. fall — the season
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. fall — to drop
  19. press — a publisher
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. press — to push

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