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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bank — of a river
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bank — for money
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bank — for money
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stem — to come from
  16. swing — music
  17. rash — a series
  18. swing — to play on

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