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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. clip — for paper
  6. drill — army training
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. plane — a tool
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. clip — a video
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wake — a trail
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. row — to paddle
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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