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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. mate — a partner
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mate — a friend
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rest — what's left
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mate — to breed
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. hand — in cards
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. hand — help

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