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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wound — an injury
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cold — not warm
  9. current — electric
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. file — a tool
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wound — an injury
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. current — of water
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. branch — a division
  21. current — happening now
  22. file — a document
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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