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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bound — certain
  3. mark — a trace
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. spell — a short time
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spell — letters
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. season — of the year
  14. spell — magic
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rule — government
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rule — a law
  19. season — in sport
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bound — tied together
  24. stem — to come from

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