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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rock — music
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wake — a trail
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. calf — of the leg

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