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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chest — a box
  5. stem — to come from
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. clip — a video
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wake — a trail
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. clip — for paper
  24. calf — a young animal

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