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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. root — of a word
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kick — in football
  13. drill — army training
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. drill — a practice
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. root — the cause
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. drill — the tool
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. calf — a young animal

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