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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. march — music
  10. shower — to wash
  11. march — the month
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. march — the month
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. kid — child
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. shower — rain
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. kid — to tease

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