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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. plane — a tool
  12. board — a committee
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. scale — in music
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. spell — magic
  22. scale — size or range
  23. prune — to trim
  24. coach — a trainer

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