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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. board — a committee
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. prune — to trim
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. board — to get on
  19. row — a line
  20. bore — to drill
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bore — to tire
  24. board — a flat piece

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