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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. object — to protest
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. season — of the year
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. last — finally
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. last — to go on
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — an aim
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. season — in sport
  22. wax — to grow
  23. stem — to come from
  24. last — final

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