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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stem — to come from
  3. clip — for paper
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fork — in a road
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. clip — to cut
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rock — music
  20. dip — to sink
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. clip — a video
  23. cue — a hint
  24. fork — to eat with

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