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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. lean — thin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cap — of ice
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fall — the season
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. scale — size or range
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cap — a lid
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lean — to bend
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cap — a hat
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. scale — in music
  23. cue — for pool
  24. stem — a stem cell

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