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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · bank · race · root · spell · calf · rest · leaves

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bank — for money
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. spell — letters
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. race — a contest
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. race — humankind
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. spell — a short time
  17. root — the cause
  18. spell — magic
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rest — a break
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. leaves — lets stay

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