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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 · shower · last · prune · mug · present · cell · arm

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. last — finally
  6. present — the time now
  7. last — to go on
  8. mug — to rob
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. present — there
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. mug — a face
  16. last — final
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mug — a cup
  20. shower — to wash
  21. prune — to trim
  22. present — a gift
  23. cell — in biology
  24. prune — to trim

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