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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. cell — in biology
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. field — farmland
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. field — a subject
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mark — a grade
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. craft — a skill
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. craft — boats
  19. cell — a phone
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mark — a trace
  23. field — for sport
  24. bore — to drill

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