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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 124 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bear — the animal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spring — a coil
  16. perch — the fish
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. shower — rain

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