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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 116 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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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 · track · fork · pitcher · bay · content · wind · prune

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. track — to keep track
  5. prune — to trim
  6. track — a path
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wind — moving air
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. content — the amount
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wind — moving air
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fork — in a road
  23. prune — to trim
  24. track — a song

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