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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. chest — a box
  3. file — a line of people
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. present — the time now
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. file — a document
  10. present — a gift
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cue — a signal
  13. present — there
  14. content — happy
  15. root — the cause
  16. chest — of your body
  17. file — a tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. root — of a plant
  20. content — the amount
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cue — for pool
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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