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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pit — in a race
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pit — a hole
  19. object — a thing
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. object — an aim
  22. bark — to shout
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. object — to protest

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