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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: land · current · bore · leaves · bark · row · calf · prune

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. prune — to trim
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. prune — to trim
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bore — to drill
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. land — to come down
  9. current — happening now
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. land — ground
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. current — of water
  22. bore — to tire
  23. current — electric
  24. bark — to shout

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