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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: pop · deal · calf · wound · shower · field · kick · stem

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. field — for sport
  5. kick — in football
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. stem — to come from
  14. field — farmland
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. field — a subject
  23. deal — to handle
  24. shower — rain

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