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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spell — letters
  6. drill — the tool
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. board — a committee
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spell — magic
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spell — a short time
  15. drill — a practice
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. board — to get on
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rash — hasty
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rash — a series
  22. perch — the fish
  23. drill — army training
  24. calf — a young animal

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