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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. suit — to fit
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. chip — for betting
  7. staff — employees
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. row — a line
  11. land — a country
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. land — ground
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bark — to shout
  18. suit — clothes
  19. land — to come down
  20. chip — to eat
  21. suit — in cards
  22. row — to paddle
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. staff — employees

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