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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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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 · pop · deal · prune · band · kick · march · tear

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pop — music
  8. march — the month
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. prune — to trim
  11. march — music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. kick — in football
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. band — a music group
  19. deal — to handle
  20. band — a ring
  21. march — the month
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. prune — the fruit

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