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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: court · roll · safe · calf · root · can · spell · leaves

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. court — for sport
  4. root — of a plant
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. can — a tin
  11. court — of a king
  12. roll — a list
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. root — of a word
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. roll — a cake
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. can — a tin
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. court — of law
  22. root — the cause
  23. spell — a short time
  24. calf — of the leg

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