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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. mark — a grade
  10. foot — a measure
  11. net — after costs
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. season — of the year
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mark — a trace
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. season — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — in control
  24. foot — the bottom

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