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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bear — the animal
  5. root — of a plant
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. root — the cause
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. root — of a word
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. kick — in football
  12. object — a thing
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. object — to protest
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wax — to grow
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. object — an aim
  23. bat — the animal
  24. sharp — clever

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