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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: march · calf · jam · root · cell · hide · wax · kick

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. march — music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cell — a phone
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. march — the month
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wax — to grow
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. kick — in football
  20. root — the cause
  21. march — the month
  22. root — of a plant
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cell — in biology

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