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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. bound — certain
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. field — for sport
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. stem — to come from
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. band — a music group
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bound — obliged
  19. band — a ring
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fall — the season

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