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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 120 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. current — happening now
  4. land — to come down
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. land — ground
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. root — the cause
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. root — of a word
  14. perch — the fish
  15. land — a country
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. current — electric
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wax — to grow
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. lean — to bend
  23. current — of water
  24. lean — thin

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