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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stem — to come from
  8. clip — a video
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. snap — to click
  15. chest — a box
  16. clip — for paper
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. clip — to cut
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mouse — the animal

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