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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. root — of a plant
  3. spring — of water
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. craft — boats
  6. spring — the season
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. root — of a word
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. drill — the tool
  11. root — the cause
  12. spring — a coil
  13. drill — a practice
  14. kick — in football
  15. stem — to come from
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. drill — army training
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. craft — a skill
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stem — a stem cell

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