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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. root — of a plant
  6. ball — a great time
  7. root — of a word
  8. track — to keep track
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. prune — to trim
  21. track — a song
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. root — the cause
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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