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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 116 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: rock · prune · ground · game · wake · trunk · scale · calf

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ground — the earth
  6. scale — in music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ground — crushed
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. rock — music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wake — a trail
  24. calf — a young animal

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