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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. ground — a position
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. root — of a word
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. branch — a division
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. root — of a plant
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. root — the cause
  17. field — for sport
  18. pass — a permit
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wind — moving air
  22. field — farmland
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. field — a subject

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