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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. drill — army training
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bark — to shout
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. ground — a position
  10. kick — in football
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. drill — a practice
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. drill — the tool
  20. ground — crushed
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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