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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 116 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rush — hurry
  5. degree — an amount
  6. spring — the season
  7. root — of a word
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. degree — from a university
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. root — of a plant
  19. degree — temperature
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. root — the cause
  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