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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. band — a ring
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rash — a series
  6. branch — a division
  7. root — the cause
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cap — a hat
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cap — of ice
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. band — a music group
  23. cap — a lid
  24. calf — of the leg

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