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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. capital — money
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. scale — in music
  12. dip — to sink
  13. capital — a city
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stem — to come from
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. squash — to crush
  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