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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bank — for money
  6. prune — to trim
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. row — a line
  15. spell — a short time
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. date — the fruit
  18. dip — to sink
  19. spell — magic
  20. bank — for money
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bank — of a river
  24. row — to paddle

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