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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. court — for sport
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. branch — a division
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rush — hurry
  16. court — of law
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. court — of a king
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fine — all right
  22. bark — to shout
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. rush — to hurry

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