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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lean — thin
  5. tube — the underground
  6. spring — a coil
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. fall — the season
  9. firm — decided
  10. tear — to rip
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. firm — a company
  14. lean — to bend
  15. chair — a leader
  16. fall — to drop
  17. firm — steady
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. spring — of water
  21. tube — a container
  22. fall — to drop
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. tear — from crying

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