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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 120 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. spring — a coil
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. root — of a word
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rush — hurry
  15. root — of a plant
  16. track — a path
  17. root — the cause
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spring — of water
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. track — a song
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. spring — the season

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