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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. file — a line of people
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bark — to shout
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. shower — to wash
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — of a plant
  18. file — a document
  19. shower — rain
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — a hat
  22. root — the cause
  23. bound — obliged
  24. file — a tool

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