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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ground — crushed
  3. present — the time now
  4. tube — the underground
  5. present — a gift
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ground — a position
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. tube — a container
  14. ground — the earth
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. net — after costs
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. present — there
  20. net — for catching
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. net — in sport

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