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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. branch — a division
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chest — a box
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. branch — of a bank

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