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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: calf · cap · lean · cue · stock · ball · spell · prune

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cue — a signal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cue — a hint
  17. spell — letters
  18. cap — a lid
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stock — shares
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stock — goods
  23. ball — a dance
  24. spell — magic

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