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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: root · calf · lie · foot · pitcher · ruler · prune · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. lie — to recline
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. root — of a plant
  10. prune — to trim
  11. root — of a word
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. foot — a measure
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. root — the cause
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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