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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bound — obliged
  5. race — a contest
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bound — certain
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pit — in a race
  17. stem — to come from
  18. race — humankind
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. root — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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