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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: saw · track · calf · squash · prune · leaves · bowl · bat

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. squash — to crush
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. saw — the tool
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. saw — the tool
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bat — the animal
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. track — a path
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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