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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: face · chip · calf · bat · stem · perch · drill · root

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. root — the cause
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. face — part of the head
  9. drill — army training
  10. perch — the fish
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. face — to confront
  17. root — of a plant
  18. face — to point toward
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. drill — the tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. root — of a word

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