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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. present — the time now
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rock — a stone
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — there
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. game — a match
  15. root — of a word
  16. stem — to come from
  17. root — of a plant
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. root — the cause
  22. game — wild animals
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. stem — of a plant

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