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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: toast · calf · bear · coach · saw · stem · date · fork

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. toast — bread
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. stem — to come from
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. date — the fruit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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