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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. last — final
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bulb — for light

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