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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: stem · wound · calf · ground · face · root · saw · rash

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. root — the cause
  5. rash — hasty
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. face — to point toward
  11. root — of a word
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. face — to confront
  15. root — of a plant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. stem — to come from
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rash — a series
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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