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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. deal — to handle
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. file — a document
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. branch — a division
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. file — a 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