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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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. pound — a weight
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. last — finally
  11. branch — a division
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. last — final
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. branch — of a tree

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