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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. board — to get on
  3. march — the month
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. spring — the season
  6. march — music
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. march — the month
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spring — a coil
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. spring — of water
  19. content — the amount
  20. board — a committee
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. content — happy

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