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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rest — a break
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spring — the season
  10. last — finally
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. last — to go on
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. spring — of water
  22. stem — to come from
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bear — the animal

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