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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. march — music
  7. root — of a plant
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. club — for golf
  10. root — of a word
  11. bank — for money
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pop — music
  14. club — for dancing
  15. root — the cause
  16. march — the month
  17. club — a group
  18. wax — to grow
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. march — the month
  23. pop — soda
  24. wax — in the ear

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