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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. kid — to tease
  3. capital — a city
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kid — child
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bulb — for light
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bulb — for light
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. capital — money
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. ball — a great time

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