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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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. plane — in geometry
  4. march — the month
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. tear — from crying
  10. band — a ring
  11. tear — to rip
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. march — music
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. plane — a tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bark — to shout
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — high quality
  24. march — the month

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