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

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. prune — to trim
  5. drill — army training
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mark — a trace
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — a practice
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wax — to grow
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wax — in the ear

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