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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. object — a thing
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. object — an aim
  11. mug — a cup
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. current — of water
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mug — a face
  16. last — to go on
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. last — finally
  19. current — happening now
  20. object — to protest
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. current — electric
  24. mug — to rob

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