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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cue · root · calf · wound · pitcher · chair · fall · hand

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. fall — the season
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cue — for pool
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wound — an injury
  17. root — the cause
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. root — of a word
  22. cue — a signal
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. root — of a plant

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