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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. charge — a price
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. charge — electricity
  5. net — in sport
  6. branch — a division
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — a company
  11. net — for catching
  12. stem — to come from
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. net — after costs
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. charge — in control
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — not warm

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