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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bear — the animal
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. stem — to come from
  9. face — to point toward
  10. chip — to eat
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. face — to confront
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wound — an injury
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bear — the animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. face — part of the head

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