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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. staff — a stick
  4. field — a subject
  5. track — a song
  6. field — farmland
  7. track — a path
  8. race — humankind
  9. field — for sport
  10. race — a contest
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mug — a face
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mug — to rob
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bank — for money
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bank — for money
  20. mug — a cup
  21. staff — employees
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bank — of a river
  24. calf — a young animal

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