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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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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: kid · present · squash · snap · mouse · pound · calf · prune

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. snap — to click
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. present — the time now
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pound — a weight
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. squash — to crush
  17. kid — child
  18. present — a gift
  19. squash — the sport
  20. prune — to trim
  21. present — there
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  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