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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bat — the animal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bear — the animal
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. file — a tool
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a face

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