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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spring — of water
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spring — a coil
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spring — the season
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. prune — the fruit
  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