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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. chest — of your body
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. chest — a box
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. ball — a great time
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. ball — a dance
  23. stem — to come from
  24. kick — in football

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