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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. root — of a word
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. root — of a plant
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — child
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. root — the cause
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. kid — to tease

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