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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: leaves · prune · bay · calf · rash · hide · root · mine

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. root — of a word
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. mine — for digging
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. root — the cause
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rash — hasty
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. rash — a series
  22. root — of a plant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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