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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. staff — employees
  6. present — a gift
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. season — in sport
  10. perch — the fish
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — of the year
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. staff — a stick
  21. present — the time now
  22. pitch — completely
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bore — to drill

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