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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 124 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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. file — a tool
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. root — of a word
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rash — hasty
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. plane — a tool
  16. root — the cause
  17. rash — a series
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wind — moving air
  22. root — of a plant
  23. deal — to handle
  24. file — a document

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