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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: file · craft · calf · snap · present · prune

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. present — a gift
  3. prune — to trim
  4. craft — a skill
  5. snap — to click
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. prune — to trim
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. present — there
  13. craft — boats
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. file — a line of people
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. present — the time now

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