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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. can — a tin
  4. track — a path
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. can — a tin
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. land — to come down
  9. bound — obliged
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. land — a country
  14. can — to be able to
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. track — to keep track
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stem — to come from
  21. land — ground
  22. bound — certain
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. calf — a young animal

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