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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. tear — to rip
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. content — the amount
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. chip — to eat
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. stem — to come from
  12. snap — to click
  13. tear — from crying
  14. roll — a cake
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. tear — from crying
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. content — happy
  23. shower — rain
  24. stem — of a plant

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