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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 116 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — to bear
  3. clip — to cut
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wound — an injury
  10. clip — for paper
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. game — a match
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. clip — a video
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. game — wild animals

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