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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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Word bank
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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: calf · pound · dip · cell · spell · root · coach · mug

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. spell — magic
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mug — a face
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spell — letters
  13. dip — to sink
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pound — a weight
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. root — of a word
  21. cell — a phone
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. root — the cause

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