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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: calf · saw · sharp · root · club · band · tear · fork

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. band — a music group
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. root — of a word
  7. saw — the tool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. club — a group
  15. root — of a plant
  16. tear — from crying
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. band — a ring
  21. club — for dancing
  22. root — the cause
  23. club — for golf
  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