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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 116 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: perch · safe · calf · mouse · root · land · stand · cold

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. root — the cause
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cold — an illness
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. root — of a word
  11. land — to come down
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. land — ground
  19. land — a country
  20. stand — to bear
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cold — not warm
  24. root — of a plant

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