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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. content — happy
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fork — in a road
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. stem — to come from
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. content — the amount
  21. cold — an illness
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. content — videos and posts

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