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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rash — a series
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. row — a line
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bark — to shout
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mate — to breed
  24. lash — an eyelash

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