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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stem — to come from
  4. file — a line of people
  5. can — a tin
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. hand — help
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. file — a tool
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. can — to be able to
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. file — a document
  18. can — a tin
  19. cold — an illness
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. hand — in cards

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