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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. root — the cause
  4. row — a line
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. track — to keep track
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. degree — from a university
  9. row — to paddle
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. degree — temperature
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. root — of a plant
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. root — of a word
  22. track — a path
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. nail — for a hammer

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