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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. object — a thing
  3. root — the cause
  4. land — ground
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. object — to protest
  7. bark — to shout
  8. object — an aim
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. saw — the tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. root — of a word
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pitcher — a jug

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