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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. row — to paddle
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wind — moving air
  8. scale — size or range
  9. charge — a price
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. charge — in control
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. capital — money
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. scale — in music
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bowl — a football final

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