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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.

Make a worksheet

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: march · content · prune · calf · mine · ground · object · fall

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. fall — the season
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. ground — a position
  11. object — a thing
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. object — to protest
  14. fall — to drop
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fall — to drop
  17. prune — to trim
  18. march — music
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. object — an aim
  21. ground — crushed
  22. content — the amount
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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