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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. roll — a list
  3. tear — from crying
  4. root — of a word
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. roll — a cake
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. tear — from crying
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. root — the cause
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. tear — to rip

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