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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 120 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: object · mug · rest · temple · snap · calf · root · prune

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. object — to protest
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. object — a thing
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rest — a break
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mug — to rob
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. object — an aim
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rest — what's left
  18. snap — to click
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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