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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cell — in biology
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. spell — magic
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cell — a phone
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spell — letters
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. patient — a sick person

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