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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. squash — to crush
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. squash — the sport
  15. lean — thin
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pop — soda
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. sharp — clever
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. calf — of the leg

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