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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. can — a tin
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. root — of a word
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — to come from
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. root — of a plant
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. root — the cause
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. ball — a great time
  24. can — a tin

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