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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. file — a document
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. degree — an amount
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pop — soda
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wake — a trail
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. degree — temperature
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. file — a tool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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