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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. race — a contest
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ground — the earth
  9. staff — employees
  10. craft — boats
  11. staff — a stick
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. branch — a division
  14. ground — a position
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. staff — employees
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. race — humankind
  20. craft — a skill
  21. race — the arms race
  22. ground — crushed
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. calf — of the leg

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