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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. squash — the sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bark — to shout
  8. tear — to rip
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chair — a leader
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. squash — to crush
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. lean — to rest against

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