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

Word bank: stick · deal · race · chair · prune · calf

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. chair — a leader
  18. race — humankind

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