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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: wound · cold · temple · calf · object · fall · hide · prune

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. object — to protest
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. prune — to trim
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. fall — the season
  11. object — an aim
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. object — a thing
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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