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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.

Make a worksheet

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: last · object · calf · spell · mine · fork · root · rash

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rash — hasty
  4. last — to go on
  5. spell — a short time
  6. root — of a word
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. root — the cause
  10. object — a thing
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. object — an aim
  15. spell — magic
  16. last — finally
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. object — to protest
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — in a road
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. spell — letters
  24. rash — a series

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