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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: wound · calf · coach · dip · branch · last · spell · root

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. spell — letters
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a word
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. branch — a division
  11. spell — a short time
  12. last — finally
  13. dip — to sink
  14. last — to go on
  15. wound — an injury
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. last — final
  19. wound — an injury
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. spell — magic
  23. root — of a plant
  24. branch — of a tree

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