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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. root — of a plant
  3. club — a group
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bound — tied together
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kid — to tease
  13. root — the cause
  14. bound — certain
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. club — for golf
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. club — for dancing
  20. root — of a word
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bound — obliged
  24. kid — child

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