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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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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: field · stem · content · stick · calf · date · snap · lash

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stem — to come from
  3. field — farmland
  4. snap — to click
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. date — the fruit
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. field — for sport
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. field — a subject
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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