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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. net — in sport
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. net — for catching
  14. mine — for digging
  15. date — the fruit
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. net — after costs

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