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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: pitcher · bowl · calf · foot · field · fan · date · prune

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. field — for sport
  15. foot — a measure
  16. field — farmland
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. date — on the calendar
  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