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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 124 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. land — a country
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. swing — music
  6. can — a tin
  7. swing — in golf
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. swing — to play on
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. land — to come down
  21. can — a tin
  22. mine — for digging
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bark — to shout

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