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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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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: perch · prune · arm · chip · lean · cold · ball · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — not warm
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. lean — to bend
  5. ball — a dance
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. chip — for betting
  8. perch — the fish
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. lean — thin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chip — to eat
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ball — a great time
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cold — an illness

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