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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. scale — in music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. scale — size or range
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. squash — to crush
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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