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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wind — moving air
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. date — the fruit
  8. chip — for betting
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lean — thin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. track — a path
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. calf — a young animal

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