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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. band — a ring
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. content — the amount
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. kid — to tease
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. kid — child
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. content — happy
  22. band — a music group
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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