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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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. calf — of the leg
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. kid — to tease
  8. track — a song
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. track — a path
  14. kid — child
  15. bore — to drill
  16. track — to keep track
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bore — to tire
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. row — a line
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. lean — thin

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