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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bound — certain
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pop — music
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pop — soda
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. snap — to click
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. file — a line of people
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. stem — a stem cell

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