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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bore — to tire
  14. lean — thin
  15. spring — the season
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. perch — the fish
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. calf — of the leg

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