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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: cell · cap · current · lash · game · race · calf · prune

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. race — a contest
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. current — of water
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. game — a match
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. current — electric
  13. cell — in biology
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. game — wild animals
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. prune — to trim
  19. current — happening now
  20. cap — a lid
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cap — of ice
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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