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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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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: prune · scale · bore · bear · foot · calf · drill · last

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bear — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. foot — a measure
  12. scale — in music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. last — finally
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. drill — a practice
  17. prune — to trim
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bear — to put up with

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