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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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. calf — a young animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. drill — the tool
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. track — a song
  10. wound — an injury
  11. race — a contest
  12. perch — the fish
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. race — humankind
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — an injury
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. race — the arms race
  20. drill — a practice
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. prune — to trim
  23. drill — army training
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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