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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · mate · squash · prune · calf · snap

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mate — to breed
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mate — a friend
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. snap — to click
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. prune — to trim
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. squash — the sport
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. mate — a partner
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the vegetable

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