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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: calf · fine · mark · lash · land · prune · perch · chest

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. land — ground
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fine — high quality
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. land — to come down
  9. prune — to trim
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. perch — the fish
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. land — a country
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chest — a box
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  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