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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. band — a music group
  3. root — of a plant
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. key — the most important part
  10. band — a ring
  11. court — of a king
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lean — thin
  15. court — of law
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. root — the cause
  21. key — in music
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. root — of a word

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