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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · charge · fork · bat · calf · prune · mug · mine

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. charge — a price
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mug — a face
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fork — in a road
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — in cards
  15. prune — to trim
  16. charge — in control
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. charge — electricity
  24. prune — the fruit

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