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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 120 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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stem — to come from
  5. key — in music
  6. degree — temperature
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. row — a line
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. degree — from a university
  13. key — for a lock
  14. ground — a position
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. degree — an amount
  17. key — the most important part
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stand — to bear
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wake — a trail

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