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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. spring — the season
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. ground — a position
  8. drill — army training
  9. wake — a trail
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. spring — a coil
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spring — of water
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. ground — the earth
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rock — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rock — to move gently

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