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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. ground — a position
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. current — electric
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mine — for digging
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — happening now
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. current — of water

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