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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 116 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spring — a coil
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. scale — size or range
  13. root — the cause
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. root — of a plant
  18. spring — the season
  19. bat — the animal
  20. root — of a word
  21. scale — in music
  22. spring — of water
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. calf — of the leg

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