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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: calf · content · saw · kick · fall · ground · bowl · prune

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ground — the earth
  5. fall — the season
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. fall — to drop
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. prune — to trim
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. ground — crushed

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