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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 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. net — for catching
  3. present — the time now
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. net — after costs
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. net — in sport
  16. present — a gift
  17. deal — to handle
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wax — to grow
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. present — there

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