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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. root — of a plant
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. root — of a word
  8. shower — to wash
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. suit — in cards
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. root — the cause
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. suit — to fit
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. suit — clothes
  23. shower — rain
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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