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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. lean — to bend
  2. clip — to cut
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lean — thin
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. charge — a price
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. charge — in control
  19. clip — for paper
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. clip — a video
  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