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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: branch · calf · snap · hand · foot · prune · pound · fall

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. hand — in cards
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fall — to drop
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hand — help
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fall — the season
  18. snap — to click
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pound — a weight
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hand — part of the body

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