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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. season — of the year
  4. root — the cause
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. drill — a practice
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. season — in sport
  12. game — a match
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. root — of a word
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. current — happening now
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — a weight
  24. drill — army training

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