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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. field — for sport
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stem — to come from
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. tear — from crying
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. face — part of the head
  16. scale — size or range
  17. field — a subject
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. snap — to click
  21. field — farmland
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. tear — from crying

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