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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · wave · fall · stem · calf · race · ground · fan

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fall — the season
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. race — the arms race
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. race — humankind
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. race — a contest
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fall — to drop
  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