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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ground — crushed
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. row — a line
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ground — a position
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. press — to push
  16. press — newspapers
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. press — a publisher
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ground — the earth

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