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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: tube · calf · cell · craft · fan · prune · kid · ground

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. prune — the fruit
  3. ground — crushed
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ground — the earth
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. craft — boats
  11. tube — a container
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. tube — the underground
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cell — a phone
  16. kid — child
  17. craft — a skill
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ground — a position
  21. cell — in biology
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. tube — in a tire
  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