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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wound — an injury
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bark — to shout
  19. kick — in football
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. squash — the sport
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. squash — to crush

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