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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. prune — to trim
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. kid — to tease
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. spring — the season
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spring — of water
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. degree — from a university
  16. kid — child
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. object — an aim
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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