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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 120 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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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: race · tear · calf · prune · chest · stem · bore · board

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bore — to tire
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. board — to get on
  5. race — the arms race
  6. chest — a box
  7. race — humankind
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bore — to drill
  10. race — a contest
  11. stem — to come from
  12. tear — from crying
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. chest — of your body
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. tear — from crying
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tear — to rip

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