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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: mouse · rush · game · mark · calf · row · ground · stem

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. game — a match
  4. mark — a grade
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. ground — crushed
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. ground — a position
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. game — wild animals
  15. ground — the earth
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. row — a line
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. stem — to come from
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. row — a quarrel

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