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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: bulb · stem · cue · clip · fall · last · calf · kid

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. kid — child
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fall — the season
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kid — to tease
  7. clip — a video
  8. last — to go on
  9. cue — for pool
  10. last — final
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bulb — for light
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. clip — for paper
  21. last — finally
  22. cue — a signal
  23. stem — to come from
  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