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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. last — finally
  6. stem — to come from
  7. swing — in golf
  8. row — a line
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. file — a tool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rest — a break
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. swing — music
  17. wake — a trail
  18. last — final
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rest — what's left
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. file — a document
  24. last — to go on

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