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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mate — to breed
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rash — hasty
  7. lean — thin
  8. mate — a friend
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stem — to come from
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rash — a series
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. drill — army training
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. chest — a box
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. stem — of a plant

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