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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: game · stem · fall · fan · scale · racket · sharp · calf

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fall — to drop
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. sharp — clever
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. game — a match
  9. fall — the season
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stem — to come from
  15. scale — in music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fall — to drop
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. sharp — exactly

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