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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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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: vault · calf · season · ruler · arm · root · prune · kick

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. season — in sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. root — of a plant
  18. vault — a safe
  19. kick — in football
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. ruler — for measuring

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