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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. foot — a measure
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. chest — of your body
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. chest — a box
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. chest — of your body
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. kick — in football
  24. stem — to come from

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