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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. stand — to bear
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. face — to point toward
  8. field — for sport
  9. face — to confront
  10. field — farmland
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bear — the animal
  16. clip — a video
  17. drill — a practice
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rush — hurry
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. clip — for paper
  22. field — a subject
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. drill — army training

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