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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bound — certain
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. scale — in music
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bore — to tire
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bound — tied together
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. wind — moving air
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wind — moving air

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