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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. kick — in football
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. march — music
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. deal — to handle
  19. march — the month
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pound — a weight
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. march — the month

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