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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. lean — thin
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. lean — to bend
  14. branch — a division
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pitch — completely
  18. last — final
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. last — to go on
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. last — finally

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