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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 120 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: ball · calf · root · stand · pop · pitcher · saw · arm

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stand — to bear
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pop — music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ball — a dance
  12. root — of a word
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pop — soda
  16. ball — a great time
  17. saw — the tool
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. root — the cause
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pitcher — a jug

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