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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 116 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: calf · spell · shower · leaves · bank · march · trunk · root

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. spell — letters
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. march — the month
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — a short time
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. root — of a plant
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bank — for money
  19. root — the cause
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spell — magic
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. root — of a word

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