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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 116 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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. ball — a great time
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rock — music
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. clip — a video
  18. net — after costs
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mate — to breed
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mate — a friend
  24. ball — a dance

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