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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 120 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  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. stem — a stem cell
  3. march — the month
  4. saw — the tool
  5. march — music
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stem — to come from
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cold — an illness
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. march — the month
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wave — of the sea
  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