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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bank — of a river
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. last — finally
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bank — for money
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bank — for money
  12. last — final
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spell — magic
  15. chest — a box
  16. mine — for digging
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. drill — the tool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. last — to go on

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