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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cue — for pool
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. lean — thin
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cue — a signal

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