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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. perch — the fish
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. object — to protest
  9. file — a tool
  10. rush — hurry
  11. object — an aim
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. object — a thing
  14. board — to get on
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. board — a committee
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. file — a document
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. file — a line of people
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stem — to come from
  24. perch — for a bird

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