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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. season — of the year
  4. mug — a cup
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mug — a face
  7. field — for sport
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. season — in sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. stem — to come from
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rush — hurry
  18. field — farmland
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. game — wild animals
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. game — a match

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