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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stem — to come from
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. club — for dancing
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wound — an injury
  11. club — for golf
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. drill — army training
  15. lean — thin
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wake — a trail
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. club — a group
  24. lean — to rest against

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