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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 116 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. club — for golf
  5. prune — to trim
  6. press — a publisher
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. club — for dancing
  13. press — to push
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. club — a group
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wound — an injury
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pass — to spend time

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