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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mark — a trace
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cap — of ice
  10. root — the cause
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cap — a lid
  13. root — of a word
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bark — to shout
  16. root — of a plant
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mark — a grade

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