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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. last — to go on
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. roll — a cake
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wake — a trail
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. last — final
  23. roll — a list
  24. last — finally

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