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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 120 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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. root — of a word
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mate — to breed
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. root — the cause
  10. last — to go on
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. last — finally
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. last — final
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. deal — to handle
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rock — music

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