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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. scale — in music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. face — to confront
  14. stem — to come from
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. face — to point toward
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cold — not warm
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. face — part of the head
  24. straw — dry grass

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