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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rest — what's left
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rest — a break
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. field — for sport
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. prune — to trim
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. plane — a tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. bore — to drill

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