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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 116 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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Word bank
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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. sharp — clever
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ball — a great time
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. ball — a dance
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pass — a permit
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. plane — in geometry

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