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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 120 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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bound — obliged
  3. hand — in cards
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bound — tied together
  7. current — electric
  8. clip — a video
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. current — happening now
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fork — in a road
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bound — certain
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. clip — to cut
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. current — of water
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. clip — for paper
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. hand — help

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