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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. object — to protest
  6. chest — of your body
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. object — a thing
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bear — the animal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. object — an aim
  21. lean — thin
  22. chest — a box
  23. lean — to bend
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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