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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 116 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: row · pop · coach · calf · wake · prune · cap · file

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pop — soda
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cap — a lid
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cap — of ice
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cap — a hat
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wake — a trail
  12. file — a tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pop — music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. row — a line
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. row — to paddle
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wake — before a funeral

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