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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.

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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: board · spring · bay · cue · fall · lie · calf · prune

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. spring — the season
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. board — a committee
  8. cue — for pool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — to get on
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spring — of water
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fall — the season
  23. cue — a signal
  24. calf — a young animal

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