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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pop — to visit
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pop — soda
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. fork — in a road
  22. prune — to trim
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pop — music

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