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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wind — moving air
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. band — a music group
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wind — moving air
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. band — a ring
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. jam — in traffic

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