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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. shower — rain
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rush — hurry
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. prune — to trim
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. shower — to wash
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mate — a partner
  22. season — in sport
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. root — the cause

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