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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. firm — steady
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bore — to drill
  5. tear — from crying
  6. branch — a division
  7. tear — from crying
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bore — to tire
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. game — a match
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. cell — in biology
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. firm — decided
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cell — a phone
  21. game — wild animals
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. firm — a company

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