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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rash — hasty
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rash — a series
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ball — a dance
  24. calf — a young animal

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