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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mate — a friend
  7. spring — the season
  8. row — a line
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. row — to paddle
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mate — to breed
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mate — a partner

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