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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — to push
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. shower — rain
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. object — an aim
  14. press — newspapers
  15. track — a song
  16. press — a publisher
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. object — to protest
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mine — for digging

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