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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. snap — to click
  4. bound — tied together
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cap — a hat
  10. root — the cause
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. prune — to trim
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cap — of ice
  24. calf — a young animal

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