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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mine — for digging
  5. prune — to trim
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. file — a document
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. file — a line of people
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. perch — the fish
  23. file — a tool
  24. sharp — exactly

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