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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. hand — help
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. scale — in music
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. root — the cause
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rock — music
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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