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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. net — after costs
  4. tear — from crying
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tear — from crying
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bank — for money
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. net — in sport
  17. root — of a word
  18. tear — to rip
  19. net — for catching
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. hide — to keep secret

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