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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wound — an injury
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mark — a trace
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stand — to bear
  23. mark — a grade
  24. stand — for spectators

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