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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. field — a subject
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. prune — to trim
  11. field — for sport
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. bass — low music
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. land — ground
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. field — farmland
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pass — a permit
  24. prune — the fruit

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