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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mug — a face
  4. charge — electricity
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wind — moving air
  7. charge — a price
  8. stem — to come from
  9. rash — a series
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. saw — the tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. charge — in control
  21. mug — a cup
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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