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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. spell — magic
  6. wind — moving air
  7. prune — to trim
  8. object — an aim
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mark — a trace
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. object — a thing
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. spell — a short time
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spell — letters
  19. object — to protest
  20. fork — in a road
  21. drill — army training
  22. wind — moving air
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. drill — a practice

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