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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bark — to shout
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. date — the fruit
  6. staff — employees
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. row — to paddle
  9. degree — temperature
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. plane — a tool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. row — a line
  23. perch — the fish
  24. staff — a stick

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