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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. root — the cause
  5. bark — to shout
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. root — of a plant
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bear — the animal
  12. root — of a word
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bear — the animal
  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