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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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468
Word bank
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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wake — a trail
  5. kid — to tease
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. tear — from crying
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. tear — from crying
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. toast — bread
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kid — child
  23. tear — to rip
  24. calf — of the leg

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