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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rush — hurry
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. last — final
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. field — farmland
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. field — for sport
  15. march — the month
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. march — music
  19. last — finally
  20. field — a subject
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. march — the month
  24. stem — to come from

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