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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. root — the cause
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. rock — music
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. root — of a plant
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — clothes
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. root — of a word
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. suit — to fit
  24. saw — the tool

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