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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. land — ground
  4. key — the most important part
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stem — to come from
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stand — to bear
  10. band — a ring
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. key — for a lock
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. squash — to crush
  17. ground — the earth
  18. land — to come down
  19. ground — a position
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. key — in music
  22. squash — the sport
  23. band — a music group
  24. land — a country

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