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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 · rule · cap · track · fall · court · root

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. root — the cause
  3. fall — to drop
  4. track — to keep track
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rule — a law
  9. track — a song
  10. court — of law
  11. root — of a word
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. root — of a plant
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rule — government
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. court — of a king
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. court — for sport
  24. cap — of ice

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