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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mate — a partner
  4. hand — in cards
  5. prune — to trim
  6. foot — a measure
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. staff — employees
  10. spring — a coil
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. mate — to breed
  13. object — an aim
  14. spring — of water
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. object — a thing
  17. staff — employees
  18. prune — to trim
  19. staff — a stick
  20. spring — the season
  21. mate — a friend
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. object — to protest
  24. calf — of the leg

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