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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cell — in biology
  5. drill — the tool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. stock — shares
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. stock — goods
  15. wind — moving air
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pass — a permit
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. cell — a phone

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