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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: toast · calf · mate · roll · wax · root · present · perch

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. present — a gift
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mate — to breed
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. root — of a word
  9. perch — the fish
  10. roll — a cake
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. present — the time now
  13. wax — to grow
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. root — the cause
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. toast — bread
  22. root — of a plant
  23. roll — a list
  24. present — there

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