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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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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: chair · wind · ground · racket · calf · bear · stem · snap

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. ground — a position
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. ground — the earth
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wind — moving air
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stem — to come from
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wind — moving air
  14. snap — to click
  15. ground — crushed
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bear — the animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. chair — a leader

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