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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bound — tied together
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bound — obliged
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. season — of the year
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bound — certain
  22. season — in sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — a stem cell

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