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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bear — the animal
  7. season — in sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stem — to come from
  10. cell — in biology
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — of the year
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. kick — in football
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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