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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fall — to drop
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rest — a break
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fall — the season
  15. stem — to come from
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cap — a lid
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. leaves — to go away

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