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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · last · perch · mug · tear · snap · calf · mine

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. last — finally
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kid — to tease
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. last — final
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. last — to go on
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mug — a cup
  18. perch — the fish
  19. mug — a face
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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