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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. roll — a cake
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stem — to come from
  9. deal — to handle
  10. wound — an injury
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. degree — temperature
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. roll — a list
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. stem — a stem cell

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