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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. rest — a break
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. hand — in cards
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rest — what's left
  10. clip — to cut
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rest — what's left
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. hand — help
  20. clip — a video
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. calf — a young animal

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