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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: prune · scale · wound · fork · drill · cap · mark · calf

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wound — an injury
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cap — of ice
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cap — a hat
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mark — a trace
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. drill — a practice
  24. fork — in a road

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