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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pop — music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pop — soda
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. root — of a word
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. root — the cause
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fall — to drop
  24. calf — of the leg

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