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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: rush · kid · root · hand · spell · kick · calf · tear

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. hand — help
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. hand — in cards
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. tear — to rip
  14. root — of a word
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. root — the cause
  17. rush — hurry
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. kid — child
  20. kick — in football
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. root — of a plant
  23. spell — letters
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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