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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: present · ball · prune · branch · calf · nail · last · squash

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. squash — to crush
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. present — a gift
  6. last — to go on
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. last — final
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. present — there
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. branch — a division
  15. squash — the sport
  16. last — finally
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. present — the time now
  19. prune — to trim
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. ball — a great time
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ball — a dance
  24. prune — the fruit

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