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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 · field · kick · calf · court · rash · hand · staff

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. staff — employees
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. kick — in football
  8. court — of a king
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stem — to come from
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. staff — employees
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. field — a subject
  19. staff — a stick
  20. hand — in cards
  21. court — of law
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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