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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. root — of a word
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bear — the animal
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bound — certain
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. root — the cause
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bound — obliged
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bound — tied together

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