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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rock — a stone
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rock — music
  20. squash — to crush
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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