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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. file — a document
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. file — a tool
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. kid — child
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bark — to shout
  14. kid — to tease
  15. file — a line of people
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. ruler — for measuring

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