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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 116 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pop — to visit
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pop — soda
  13. bank — for money
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pop — music
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. pitch — completely

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