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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. last — final
  9. rock — music
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. dip — to sink
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. last — to go on
  20. shower — to wash
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rock — a stone
  24. prune — to trim

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