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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · land · stem · wake · fork · calf · hide · prune

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. stem — to come from
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. land — to come down
  6. prune — to trim
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ball — a great time
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. wake — a trail
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stem — a stem cell

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