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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 116 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: game · cold · stem · saw · mouse · root · calf · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. club — for dancing
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. game — wild animals
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stem — to come from
  14. root — of a word
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. club — a group
  18. root — the cause
  19. game — a match
  20. cold — not warm
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cold — an illness
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cold — the Cold War

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