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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. row — to paddle
  10. prune — to trim
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. prune — to trim
  22. lean — thin
  23. stem — to come from
  24. lean — to bend

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