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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: wind · charge · kick · lean · calf · saw · stem · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wind — moving air
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. object — an aim
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. charge — electricity
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. charge — a price
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. object — a thing
  13. lean — to bend
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. charge — in control
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wind — moving air
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kick — in football
  20. stem — to come from
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. lean — thin
  24. stem — of a plant

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