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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: kick · root · scale · wound · mine · row · pass · calf

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. wound — an injury
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. scale — in music
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. root — of a word
  12. row — to paddle
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. row — a line
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. kick — in football
  24. calf — a young animal

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