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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: nail · roll · bank · root · shower · calf · land · jam

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. land — ground
  3. bank — for money
  4. root — the cause
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. roll — a list
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. root — of a word
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. shower — rain
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. bank — of a river
  18. roll — a cake
  19. shower — to wash
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bank — for money
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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