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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. squash — the sport
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. tear — from crying
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tear — from crying
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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