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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stock — shares
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fall — to drop
  9. band — a ring
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. band — a music group
  14. stock — goods
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. saw — the tool
  18. root — the cause
  19. fall — the season
  20. root — of a plant
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. band — a rubber band

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