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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 120 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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. game — a match
  8. drill — army training
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. root — of a word
  15. game — wild animals
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cue — for pool
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bark — to shout
  20. root — the cause
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cue — a hint
  23. drill — the tool
  24. game — a kind of play

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