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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. perch — the fish
  4. craft — a skill
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. file — a document
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. band — a ring
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wound — an injury
  16. file — a tool
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wound — an injury
  21. toast — bread
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. band — a music group

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