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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 120 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. current — electric
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. spring — of water
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. current — happening now
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. stem — to come from
  19. snap — to click
  20. spring — a coil
  21. current — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. band — a ring
  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