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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. spell — letters
  3. root — of a word
  4. row — to paddle
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. perch — the fish
  7. date — the fruit
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. root — of a plant
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. spell — magic
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — a line
  22. root — the cause
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. field — farmland

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