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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. staff — a stick
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. march — the month
  8. club — for dancing
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. foot — a measure
  11. march — music
  12. club — a group
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. land — to come down
  15. march — the month
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wind — moving air
  20. staff — employees
  21. club — for golf
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stem — a stem cell

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