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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: object · bowl · last · deal · bore · calf · hand · prune

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bore — to tire
  4. deal — to handle
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. object — an aim
  11. bore — to drill
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. hand — help
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. last — final
  18. hand — in cards
  19. last — finally
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — to protest
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. last — to go on

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