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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. rush — hurry
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bulb — for light
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. root — the cause
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fall — the season
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. fall — to drop
  20. branch — a division
  21. snap — to click
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. bulb — for light

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