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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. present — there
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wound — an injury
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. present — a gift
  9. object — an aim
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. present — the time now
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. object — to protest
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. stem — to come from
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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