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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rash — hasty
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. object — to protest
  10. cue — a hint
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rash — a series
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — an aim
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. foot — a measure
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. stem — to come from
  24. foot — the bottom

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