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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 116 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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. hand — in cards
  4. track — a path
  5. mug — a face
  6. hand — help
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mug — to rob
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. track — a song
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. spell — letters
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. tube — the underground
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. tube — a container
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. spell — magic
  21. stem — to come from
  22. track — to keep track
  23. last — final
  24. mug — a cup

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