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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: mine · rush · foot · root · leaves · tear · calf · sharp

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. tear — to rip
  4. root — the cause
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. rush — hurry
  9. sharp — clever
  10. foot — a measure
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. tear — from crying
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mine — for digging
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. root — of a plant
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. root — of a word
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. tear — from crying

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