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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — tied together
  8. staff — employees
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bound — certain
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. staff — employees
  18. pass — a permit
  19. tear — from crying
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. tear — from crying

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