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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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Word bank
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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. field — farmland
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. kick — in football
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. field — a subject
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. tear — to rip
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. field — for sport
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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