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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. toast — bread
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bat — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. row — a line
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. sharp — clever
  12. row — to paddle
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. calf — of the leg

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