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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — a committee
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. prune — to trim
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rush — hurry
  20. board — to get on
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. sharp — clever

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