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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. last — final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. last — to go on
  5. branch — a division
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. prune — to trim
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. last — finally
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. prune — to trim
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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