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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 124 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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. field — for sport
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. dip — to sink
  6. field — a subject
  7. stem — to come from
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. scale — in music
  17. field — farmland
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pound — a weight
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pound — for dogs

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