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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. race — a contest
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. can — a tin
  5. net — in sport
  6. can — to be able to
  7. net — for catching
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — of water
  11. shower — to wash
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. can — a tin
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. current — electric
  17. shower — rain
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. current — happening now
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. net — after costs
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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