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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 116 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. root — of a word
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pop — soda
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. prune — to trim
  11. sharp — clever
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pop — music
  16. row — a line
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. spring — a coil
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pop — to visit
  23. dip — to sink
  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