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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. row — a line
  4. stand — to bear
  5. root — the cause
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. prune — to trim
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. root — of a plant
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ball — a great time
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. ball — a dance
  24. coach — a trainer

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