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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. kid — child
  5. wound — an injury
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cap — of ice
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. staff — employees
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cap — a hat
  15. kid — to tease
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stem — to come from
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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