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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spell — a short time
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. shower — to wash
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. shower — rain
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. dip — to sink
  16. spell — letters
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. spell — magic
  19. field — for sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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