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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 120 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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. last — to go on
  5. pop — music
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. last — finally
  9. drill — the tool
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stem — to come from
  14. last — final
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pop — soda
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. pop — to visit
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. drill — a practice
  21. snap — to click
  22. drill — army training
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stem — of a plant

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