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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mug — to rob
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. mug — a face
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bat — the animal
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. key — the most important part
  18. branch — a division
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. mug — a cup
  23. stem — to come from
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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