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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. plane — a tool
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mate — a partner
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. drill — the tool
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. drill — army training
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. wind — moving air
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wind — moving air
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. drill — a practice
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wave — with your hand

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