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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. band — a ring
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pound — a weight
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. scale — in music

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