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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 120 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: ground · calf · face · present · prune · pitcher · mouse · key

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. present — there
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. key — in music
  6. present — a gift
  7. ground — crushed
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. face — part of the head
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. key — the most important part
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. key — for a lock
  20. ground — a position
  21. prune — to trim
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. face — to confront
  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