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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 120 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. race — a contest
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spell — magic
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. race — the arms race
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. squash — the sport
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stem — to come from
  21. spell — letters
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. race — humankind
  24. stem — a stem cell

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