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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. roll — a cake
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. roll — a list
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. saw — the tool
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bound — certain
  21. saw — the tool
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. arm — part of the body

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