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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. club — a group
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. club — for dancing
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. kick — in football
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. sharp — clever
  21. club — for golf
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. stem — to come from

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