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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. track — to keep track
  3. firm — decided
  4. ground — a position
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stem — to come from
  8. branch — a division
  9. track — a path
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. face — to confront
  14. firm — steady
  15. track — a song
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. face — to point toward
  21. firm — a company
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  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