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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ground — crushed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. land — a country
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. land — to come down
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. land — ground
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ground — the earth
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. fan — a supporter

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