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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: wind · root · row · game · bark · march · chair · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. march — music
  6. bark — to shout
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. game — a match
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a word
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. march — the month
  18. game — wild animals
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. march — the month

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