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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. current — electric
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. tube — the underground
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. file — a document
  12. bear — the animal
  13. current — happening now
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. current — of water
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. chair — a leader

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