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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. file — a document
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. object — a thing
  10. fine — high quality
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — to protest
  13. bank — for money
  14. pop — to visit
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pop — music
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pop — soda
  20. fine — all right
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. saw — the tool
  23. file — a tool
  24. saw — the tool

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