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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · leaves · calf · rest · face · last · rash · stem

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. last — to go on
  5. face — part of the head
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — final
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. rest — what's left
  12. face — to confront
  13. rest — a break
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stem — to come from
  16. face — to point toward
  17. object — a thing
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. rash — hasty
  21. last — finally
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. object — an aim
  24. rash — a series

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