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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. squash — to crush
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. root — of a word
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. face — part of the head
  12. tear — from crying
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. club — a group
  16. face — to confront
  17. root — the cause
  18. club — for dancing
  19. face — to point toward
  20. club — for golf
  21. tear — from crying
  22. root — of a plant
  23. perch — the fish
  24. calf — a young animal

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