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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rush — hurry
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mug — to rob
  9. clip — for paper
  10. last — finally
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. root — of a word
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. last — final
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mug — a face
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. last — to go on

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