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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. drill — a practice
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tube — a container
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. drill — army training
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. drill — the tool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. root — of a word
  16. perch — the fish
  17. kick — in football
  18. track — a song
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. tube — the underground
  21. root — the cause
  22. pound — a weight
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. track — a path

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