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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stem — to come from
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stand — to bear
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pop — music
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. game — wild animals
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. game — a match
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pop — soda
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. ruler — a monarch

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