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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. root — of a plant
  4. tear — to rip
  5. root — the cause
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. squash — to crush
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. root — of a word
  13. spring — the season
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lie — to recline
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. capital — a city
  19. squash — the sport
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. capital — money
  23. tear — from crying
  24. capital — a big letter

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