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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. object — an aim
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wound — an injury
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. squash — to crush
  7. tube — the underground
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. tube — a container
  10. perch — the fish
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bank — for money
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. object — a thing
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. object — to protest
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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