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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: pitcher · prune · ground · deal · ball · calf · bark · staff

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. staff — employees
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. ground — the earth
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bark — to shout
  13. ground — a position
  14. staff — employees
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ground — crushed
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pitcher — a jug

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