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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bulb — for light
  7. saw — the tool
  8. craft — boats
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. craft — a skill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. kick — in football
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bulb — for light
  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