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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: hide · cold · net · calf · stem · bay · ground · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. ground — a position
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. net — after costs
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. net — in sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. net — for catching
  22. cold — an illness
  23. hide — animal skin
  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