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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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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rush — hurry
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stand — to bear
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. drill — army training
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. season — in sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. season — of the year
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stand — on your feet

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