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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: rash · calf · stem · toast · stick · sharp · cold · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. row — a line
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rash — a series
  9. toast — bread
  10. cold — not warm
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. stem — to come from
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cold — an illness
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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