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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wound — an injury
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. swing — in golf
  9. band — a ring
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. swing — to play on
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. content — happy
  14. wound — an injury
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. swing — music
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bass — low music
  23. band — a music group
  24. content — the amount

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