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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: calf · root · season · content · rest · clip · bound · rash

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. root — of a word
  4. season — of the year
  5. content — the amount
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. clip — a video
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rash — a series
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bound — obliged
  14. clip — to cut
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rest — a break
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rash — hasty
  19. root — the cause
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. root — of a plant
  23. content — happy
  24. season — in sport

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