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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. perch — the fish
  4. ground — a position
  5. kid — to tease
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. drill — the tool
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. date — the fruit
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. drill — army training
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ground — the earth
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. kid — child
  20. ground — crushed
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. perch — for a bird

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