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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · calf · cold · stem · cue · object

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. 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. cue — a hint
  2. cold — not warm
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cue — for pool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. object — an aim
  11. cold — an illness
  12. race — a contest
  13. object — a thing
  14. race — humankind
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. object — to protest
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. 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