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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: jam · file · lean · cold · roll · calf · pitcher · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cold — an illness
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. file — a tool
  9. root — the cause
  10. roll — a list
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. lean — thin
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. root — of a plant
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  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