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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rock — music
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wind — moving air
  7. sharp — clever
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rock — a stone
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wind — to turn a key

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