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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. craft — boats
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. mine — for digging
  8. craft — a skill
  9. root — the cause
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. root — of a plant
  12. file — a tool
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. file — a document
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fork — in a road
  19. root — of a word
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spell — magic
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. spell — letters
  24. wave — with your hand

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