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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mug — a face
  6. present — the time now
  7. toast — bread
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. present — a gift
  10. prune — to trim
  11. present — there
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fine — high quality
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. mug — to rob
  16. stem — to come from
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fine — all right
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mug — a cup

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