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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: lean · root · stand · wound · tear · cold · trunk · calf

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. root — the cause
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cold — an illness
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. root — of a plant
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stand — to bear
  24. lean — thin

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