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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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 — a young animal
  2. capital — money
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. capital — a city
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spring — of water
  12. chair — a leader
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. spring — the season
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. prune — to trim
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. toast — bread
  22. stem — to come from
  23. chair — to sit on
  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