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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bark — to shout
  3. row — a line
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. toast — bread
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. root — of a word
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. row — to paddle
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. root — the cause
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. root — of a plant

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