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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: calf · game · plane · arm · ball · prune · shower · net

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. net — after costs
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. net — for catching
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. game — a match
  14. plane — a tool
  15. net — in sport
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. prune — to trim
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ball — a dance
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ball — a great time
  24. game — wild animals

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