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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 124 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pop — soda
  5. mate — a partner
  6. stem — to come from
  7. net — in sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pop — music
  11. can — to be able to
  12. net — after costs
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. net — for catching
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pop — to visit
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. can — a tin

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