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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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Word bank
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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: stem · chest · club · pitcher · rash · calf · fan · saw

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stem — to come from
  7. chest — of your body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chest — a box
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. club — a group
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. club — for golf
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chest — of your body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. club — for dancing
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. stem — a stem cell

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