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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — to come from
  4. squash — to crush
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bore — to drill
  7. squash — the sport
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. spring — the season
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. degree — from a university
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stand — to bear

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