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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. board — a committee
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. board — to get on
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. lean — thin
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. lean — to bend
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. saw — the tool

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