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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. face — part of the head
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. face — to confront
  7. field — farmland
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. snap — to click
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. chip — to eat
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. face — to point toward
  18. chip — for betting
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. field — a subject
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. field — for sport
  23. saw — the tool
  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