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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. band — a ring
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. foot — a measure
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bear — the animal
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chair — a leader
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. band — a music group

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