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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spring — the season
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lean — thin
  6. root — the cause
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. root — of a word
  9. spring — of water
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. snap — to click
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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