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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. last — to go on
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cell — in biology
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cap — of ice
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cell — a phone
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cap — a lid
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. cap — a hat

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