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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 116 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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. degree — an amount
  6. row — a line
  7. fall — to drop
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. degree — temperature
  12. field — a subject
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stem — to come from
  20. field — for sport
  21. degree — from a university
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  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