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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bound — certain
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. ball — a dance
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. clip — a video
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. wake — a trail
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ball — a great time
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bound — obliged
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. calf — of the leg

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