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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. shower — to wash
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cue — for pool
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cue — a hint
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cue — a signal
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. hand — help
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. stem — to come from
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. shower — rain
  22. fork — in a road
  23. kick — in football
  24. leaves — lets stay

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