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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · fine · temple · foot · branch · calf · root · pitcher

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. branch — a division
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. root — of a plant
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. foot — a measure
  14. root — the cause
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fine — high quality
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fine — all right
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. temple — side of the head

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