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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stem — to come from
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bark — to shout
  14. content — the amount
  15. pitch — completely
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rash — a series
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. content — happy
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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