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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — farmland
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. content — happy
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. field — a subject
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bass — low music
  20. content — the amount
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. field — for sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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