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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spring — a coil
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. row — to paddle
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. stand — to bear
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. mine — for digging
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — of water
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spring — the season
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stand — for spectators

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