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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bass — the fish
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — the tool
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tear — to rip
  11. band — a ring
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. tear — from crying
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. band — a music group
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. drill — a practice
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bass — low music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. tear — from crying

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