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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — for golf
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. shower — rain
  12. club — a group
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. club — for dancing
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pound — a weight
  20. spring — the season
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spring — a coil
  23. shower — to wash
  24. spring — of water

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