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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. craft — boats
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wound — an injury
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rest — what's left
  22. tube — a container
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. rest — a break

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