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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. present — the time now
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. present — there
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cell — a phone
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stem — to come from
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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