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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. season — in sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. root — of a word
  6. fork — in a road
  7. prune — to trim
  8. root — the cause
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. root — of a plant
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. prune — to trim
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. season — of the year
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. calf — a young animal

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