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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bank — of a river
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bank — for money
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. swing — in golf
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. game — a match

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