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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: bowl · pound · calf · pitcher · spell · mark · foot · root

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. spell — letters
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mark — a trace
  7. root — of a word
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. foot — a measure
  10. root — of a plant
  11. spell — magic
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mark — a grade
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. root — the cause
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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