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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. land — a country
  3. root — of a plant
  4. kid — child
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. land — ground
  9. plane — a tool
  10. root — the cause
  11. press — to push
  12. prune — to trim
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. kid — to tease
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. branch — a division
  19. press — a publisher
  20. prune — to trim
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. press — newspapers
  23. root — of a word
  24. land — to come down

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