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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. board — a committee
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. board — to get on
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. can — to be able to
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. perch — the fish
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stem — to come from
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. prune — to trim

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