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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 120 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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. ground — crushed
  3. clip — a video
  4. ground — a position
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rest — what's left
  10. race — humankind
  11. clip — for paper
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. suit — clothes
  16. race — a contest
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ground — the earth
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — in cards
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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