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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. stem — to come from
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. root — of a plant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. track — a path
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. net — for catching
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. degree — from a university
  14. lie — to recline
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. net — in sport
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. degree — temperature
  22. root — of a word
  23. net — after costs
  24. lie — an untruth

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