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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — final
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. last — to go on
  7. present — the time now
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. last — finally
  11. vault — a safe
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. lean — thin
  14. stem — to come from
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. present — a gift
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. present — there
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. lean — to rest against

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