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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. suit — clothes
  3. cold — an illness
  4. hand — in cards
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stem — to come from
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. suit — in cards
  15. snap — to click
  16. hand — help
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. suit — to fit
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. trunk — of a tree

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