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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. season — of the year
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spell — magic
  8. key — the most important part
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. season — in sport
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — electric
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. key — in music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. current — of water

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