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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spell — magic
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. spell — letters
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. prune — to trim
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. degree — from a university
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. degree — temperature
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fine — all right

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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