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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. press — a publisher
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. last — final
  9. saw — the tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — finally
  17. wound — an injury
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — boats
  20. press — to push
  21. wound — an injury
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. last — to go on

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