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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. track — a path
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stem — to come from
  13. perch — the fish
  14. track — a song
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bat — the animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mine — belonging to me

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