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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wind — moving air
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. last — final
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wind — moving air
  14. suit — in cards
  15. suit — to fit
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. suit — clothes
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. squash — the sport
  22. root — the cause
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. calf — a young animal

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