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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bat — the animal
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wake — a trail
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — to come from
  16. roll — a list
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. plane — a tool

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