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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. root — of a plant
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. drill — a practice
  9. row — to paddle
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. root — the cause
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. season — in sport
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. season — of the year
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bowl — a dish

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