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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: leaves · stem · spring · ruler · calf · last · race · hand

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. spring — of water
  3. race — the arms race
  4. last — to go on
  5. race — a contest
  6. last — finally
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. last — final
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. race — humankind
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. spring — the season
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. calf — of the leg

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