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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. root — of a word
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. content — the amount
  15. row — a line
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. field — for sport
  18. bark — to shout
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — farmland
  21. row — to paddle
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. root — the cause
  24. content — happy

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