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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. face — to confront
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. row — a line
  11. tube — the underground
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fork — in a road
  14. rest — what's left
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rest — a break
  17. tube — a container
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. face — to point toward
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. row — to paddle

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