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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lean — to bend
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. file — a document
  6. roll — a list
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. branch — a division
  9. roll — a cake
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. file — a line of people
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rush — hurry
  20. date — the fruit
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. file — a tool
  24. calf — a young animal

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