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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. capital — money
  5. root — of a word
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. root — of a plant
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. root — the cause
  12. branch — a division
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. land — to come down
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. land — a country
  21. capital — a city
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. land — ground

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