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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bass — the fish
  5. object — a thing
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. track — to keep track
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ground — a position
  15. object — to protest
  16. ground — the earth
  17. object — an aim
  18. track — a song
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. track — a path
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bass — low music

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