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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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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: root · object · fork · calf · net · clip · land · pound

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. land — ground
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. net — in sport
  5. object — to protest
  6. fork — in a road
  7. root — the cause
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. object — an aim
  10. clip — to cut
  11. object — a thing
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. clip — a video
  14. land — to come down
  15. clip — for paper
  16. net — after costs
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pound — a weight
  19. land — a country
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. net — for catching

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