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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: spell · lean · rest · calf · coach · mine · root · perch

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rest — what's left
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. rest — what's left
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. root — the cause
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. spell — a short time
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spell — letters
  16. root — of a word
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lean — to bend
  19. spell — magic
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rest — a break
  23. perch — the fish
  24. root — of a plant

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