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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rest — a break
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fine — high quality
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fine — all right
  22. prune — to trim
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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