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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: date · spell · kick · bat · bulb · calf · prune · saw

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. spell — magic
  3. kick — in football
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bat — the animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bulb — for light
  12. date — the fruit
  13. saw — the tool
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. spell — a short time
  19. prune — to trim
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spell — letters
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kick — a thrill
  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