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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · clip · bass · squash · pop · temple · prune · rush

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. clip — for paper
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bass — low music
  11. pop — soda
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pop — music
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bass — the fish
  19. prune — to trim
  20. clip — a video
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pop — to visit
  23. clip — to cut
  24. calf — of the leg

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